


"Winters Stranger" part 1

by mrgoldsdearie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-10 00:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2003718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrgoldsdearie/pseuds/mrgoldsdearie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestitskin and Baelfire spend the evening together in their small hovel, away from the winter storm. While collecting firewood they meet a lonely rider.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Winters Stranger" part 1

It’s a cold winter night in the Enchanted Forrest, as a snow storm begins to blow in. Rumplestiltskin and his son Baelfire sit together in there hovel, keeping warm by the evening fire. Rumple spins at his spinning wheel, while Baelfire sits on the floor and collects the yarn to wrap around spools.

"Papa?" Baelfire asks quietly, finishing the spool and starting another.

"Yes son," Rumple answers, stopping his spinning to glances down at his boy.

"How old were you when you learned how to spin?"

"Just a few years younger than you are now. Why do you ask?" He begins spinning again.

"I was wondering when you were going to teach me?" He moves from the floor to stand close to his father.

Rumple stops the wheel. “I didn’t know you wanted to learn son. I always wanted to teach you, but your mother thought you were too young.”

"Will you teach me know?"

"Of course I’ll teach you Bae." He smiles proudly. "Could you hand me my staff?"

Baelfire hands his father the walking staff and helps his him up from the stool.

"The fires going out, let’s restart it before I give you for first lesson." Rumple walks to the fireplace to toss in more wood. "Bae, why didn’t you bring more wood in like I asked you? I told you there was a storm coming in tonight."

"I’m sorry papa, I forgot."

"That’s okay son, next time when I ask you to do something, do it when I ask."

"Yes papa."

"Put on your cloak, we have to go out and get more."

Baelfire quickly puts on his cloak and grabs Rumple’s cloak by the door. He gives it to his father, still standing by the dimming fire. “I got yours for you too.”

Rumple smiles at his son. “I can see that, thank you.” He swings his cloak around his shoulders and ties it in the front. “Come here Bae.”

Baelfire steps closer to his father.

"You keep your hood on, I don’t want you to get sick." He put the hood on his boy, then kisses his head. "I love you son," he whispers.

"I love you too papa." They hug each other, before going out of the door.

They step out to the high winds of the winter storm, as snow begins to fall heavily. Baelfire quickly gathers a small bushel of fire wood and rushes it back into the house.

Fighting through the wind with an injured ankle, Rumple makes it to the stack of wood and picks up a bundle.

Baelfire returns from the house. “I can take it papa,” he yells over the wind. He takes the wood from his father and rushes it back to the house.

Rumple gathers another bundle and wrangles his way back towards the hovel.

Baelfire returns for the third time and tries to help his father again.

"I’ve got this one son," Rumple saids loudly over the howling winds. "You go and get one more stack."

Baelfire goes back to the pile to grab another bushel. Through the thick snow accumulating in the wind, he sees someone out in the distance. They’re struggling to pull a frightened horse with a small cart behind it. “Papa !” Baelfire cries.

Rumple drops the fire wood and hurries as swiftly as he can to his son. “What is it Bae? What’s wrong?”

Baelfire points out to the person with the horse. “We have to help them.”

"No, we have to get back into the house son, come on." Rumple starts leading Baelfire inside. "I’m sure they’ll be fine."

Baelfire escapes from is father’s arm. “No papa, we have to help them.” He rushes over to aid the person caught in the storm.

"Bae, Bae come back," he shouts and hobbles after is son.

Baelfire reaches the stranger, while the horse still bucks. He helps by taking ahold of the reins.

"Calm down Phillipe," a woman’s voice says, trying to soothe the horse and he slowly calms after a moment. The woman turns to Baelfire and smiles. "Thank you for your help."

"Bae," Rumples cries, staggering up from behind them. "Don’t run away from me like that."

"She needed our help papa," he says still holding the reins.

"I’m sorry," the woman spoke. "I didn’t mean for the boy to get in any trouble."

Rumple glances at his son and sees the eager look on his face. He understands what that expression means, he doesn’t want to disappoint his son. “He’s not in trouble,” he answers the woman. “Do you need a place to go? You can come with us if you like?”

"Thank you, but I don’t want to burden you."

"It’s fine, we don’t have much, but you’re welcomed to anything we have. You must get out of this storm." Rumple insists.

"Alright," she agrees.

They battle against the wind and make it to the house.

"Bae, take her horse back with the sheep."

"Yes, papa." Baelfire leads the horse to the back.

"Wait," the woman shouts. She runs over to the cart and removes a satchel. She gives Baelfire a nod, then heads back over to where Rumple is standing.

Rumple picks up the fire wood he dropped and she offers to helps him carry it in. They sit the wood on the only table in the house. Rumple takes off his cloak and sits at the table to take the weight off of his ankle. He rubs his hands together, frozen and stiff from the winter air. Trying to warm them up before restarting the fire that has died.

The woman looks at his hands, they were rough and cracked. The hard life that he and his son live shows in those hands. “I can help you with that.” She removes her cloak and reaches into her satchel and pulls out a jar.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Something to help with your hands, it will help warm them." She opens the jar and pulls a chair next to him. She begins massaging the creamy ointment onto his hands.

Rumplestiltskin feel the tingle of the cream on his hands and they instantly start to warm. “Where did you get that stuff,” he asks, surprised that it’s working.

"My papa gave it to me," she answers rubbing in the last bit of cream into his hands.

"Thank you," he says gratefully. "What’s your name?"

Baelfire swings open the door, with the high wind and snow following behind him. “I got the horse safely with the sheep papa.” He closes the door, brushing the snow off of his cloak then takes it off.

Using his staff for support, Rumple moves from his chair and goes to the fireplace. He gets on his knees and begins clearing the ashes. “Help me start the fire son.”

"Yes, papa." He walks to the table and gathers the fire wood.

"Thank you for taking good care of my horse," the woman says and smiles.

Baelfire smiles back and assists his father with the fire.

Rumple arranges the wood in the fireplace. “Remember what I taught you about building a fire?”

Baelfire shakes his head to agree.

Moments later the fire is lit and heat begins filling the small house. Baelfire helps his father up from the floor and grabs the stool from the spinning wheel. He brings it to Rumple to have a seat by the fire. “Are we still going to have my spinning lesson?” Baelfire quietly asks.

"You can start it tomorrow, tonight we have a guest." He glances over at the woman. "Come set over by the fire."

She smiles, then sits on the floor between Rumple and Baelfire.

"Why were you out there alone?" Baelfire asks.

"Bae," Rumple gives him a stern look.

She looks at Rumple “It’s alright, I don’t mind.” She gazes back at Baelfire. “I left from home a few days ago. I had no idea this storm was coming.”

Baelfire looks at her clothes, they weren’t dingy, ripped, or old like his and his fathers or everyone else he knew. “Why did you leave home?”

"Bae," Rumple glares at him again.

The woman giggles. “I really don’t mind, he’s just curious.” She smiles. “I needed to get away from my old life. I wanted to start a new one and the only way to do that, was to leave home.” She stands and walks back to, taking ahold of her satchel. She sits back at the fire and pulls out a book. “Would you like to see where I’m from?”

"Yes," Baelfire answers with great interest.

She opens the book and pulls out a map and shows Baelfire her village.

"My papa and I have been there. We’ve sold wool and yarn at the marketplace, you remember papa?"

Rumple looks over the map. “Yes son, I remember. We might have even seen her at the market while we were there.” He smiles.

The woman looks down for a moment. “I doubt that you ever saw me.”

"You never know, we might have," Rumple replies.

"No, no you haven’t," she says quietly. She sighs and looks around the small house and notices that they didn’t have any books. She reaches back into her bag and pulls out another book. "I’ve read this story a thousand times. You can have it for helping me tonight." She gives the book to Baelfire.

"Thank you." He accepts it with a smile. "Papa, can I go and read it now?"

"Of course you can Bae, l know you’ll fall asleep with that book in your hands. Would you like me to tuck you in?"

Baelfire moves from the floor and stands by his father. “No, that’s okay, not tonight.”

Rumple takes his hand and kisses it. “Alright son, goodnight.”

"Goodnight papa." Baelfire gives his father a hug, then hops into his straw and wool filled bedding to read his new book.

Rumplestiltskin and the woman sit quietly for a moment and watch the flicker of the fire.

"Would you like some tea?" The woman asks, as she digs into her bag.

"I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have any tea," Rumple replies.

The woman giggles. “I’m asking if you’d like some of mine. I have some tea saved from when I left home.” She pulls out a cloth and unwraps the tea leaves.

"Well, in that case, yes." He stand from his stool to and grabs the kettle and cups.

She moves from the floor and takes ahold of the kettle. “I can do it. This can be a way of thanking you for taking me in.”

Rumple smiles at her and takes his seat back at the stool.

She opens the door and the high wind blows into the house. She goes out, quickly collects the top layer of snow into the kettle. She hurries back inside, shutting the door behind her. The woman laughs to herself, taking the snow filled kettle to the fire. She sits back on the floor and waits for the water to boil. She reopen the cloth to smell the tea leaves, offering Rumple to smell them as well.

He leans forward and takes a sniff, it’s the most pleasant scented tea he’s ever breathed in. He’s also taken surprised by the look of the tea, blue and purple flowers mixed in with the tea leaves. Rumple has never seen tea like that. “It smells lovely.” He nods his head and leans back.

"Wait till you taste it." She smiles, checking the kettle to see if the water is boiling and it is. She removes it from the fire and drops in the tea, it hits the hot water and instantly perfumes the small house. "I love that smell, it reminds me of home."

Rumple hands her the cups. “I can tell you miss home already.”

"I do, but I’m not going back." She fills both cups with tea and hands Rumple his.

"Thank you." He takes the first sip. "It’s delicious," he says with a smile. Rumple has never tasted tea so flavorful.

"I knew you’d like it." She sips on her tea.

The fire crackles and wind howls outside, as the house falls quiet again. Eager to break the silence and wanting to learn more about her gracious host. She asks him a question, “It’s just you and your son living here?”

"Yes," he shyly answers, looking back at his son. "Just us."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened to his mother?”

Rumple’s head falls and he closes his eyes. He didn’t expect her to ask this. Baelfire’s mother had ran off with another man. She couldn’t continue living her life with a simple spinner and the man that everyone calls ‘The village coward’. Rumple told his son that his mother had died, covering the shameful truth. Rumple tells his guest the same deceit. “She died a few years ago.” He holds in the painful tears of what really happened.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t…. I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t think before I spoke. Sometimes, I lets my curiosity get the better of me."

"It’s alright." He slowly moves from the stool and goes to check up on his son.

Baelfire fell asleep with the book in his arms.

Rumple takes the book and kisses is son’s head. He sits the book on the table, grabs his cloak from the chair and walks over to his bed. He removes the extra blanket and goes back to the fire. “You can have my bed tonight.” He folds up his cloak to make a pillow.

"You can’t sleep on the floor. I can’t make you do that."

"There’s nowhere else to sleep," he says.

"You might get sick sleeping on the floor. If it’s alright with you, we can both share the bed," she suggests.

He takes a moment to think. “Well, if you don’t mind sharing a space with me, then I don’t have a problem with that.” He really didn’t want to sleep on the cold and hard floor.

"Of course I don’t mind." She smiles. "It’s your house, I should be the one asking if you didn’t mind sharing a space with me." She giggles.

He smiles back at her. “It’s getting late and Bae will be wanting his spinning lesson in the morning. Are you ready to go to bed?”

"Yes, I’m quite tired from my ride today." She stands from the floor, takes the cups and kettle to the table.

Rumple takes the pillow and blanket from the bed and hands them to her. He leans his staff on the wall and places his folded cloak on the bed. He lays down scooting himself as close to the wall as he can and covers himself in the blanket. “The rest is all yours,” he says and faces the wall.

She puts the pillow on the bed and lays herself down beside him, staring up at the ceiling.

"You never told me your name," Rumple says, still with his face to the wall.

"It’s Belle," she answers.

"I’m Rumplestiltskin."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you Rumplestiltskin."

He smiles, but she doesn’t see it. “Goodnight Belle.” He falls asleep anticipating the spinning lesson with his son.

"Goodnight." She closes her eyes.

The high wind of the winter storm hits against the small house, gusts of the cold air creeps through cracks of the hovel. Belle doesn’t know where she’d be if they didn’t take her in, she is extremely grateful. She drifts off to sleep thinking of another way to thank her courteous hosts.


End file.
